The use of near-infrared (NIR) imaging agents is a promising avenue for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. NIR dyes are advantageous since endogenous pigments (e.g., hemoglobin, deoxyhemoglobin, and melanin) do not absorb substantially in the NIR window, allowing light to reach deeper regions of the body. Two promising modalities that have emerged for these purposes are photoacoustic (PA) and fluorescence imaging. Several different dyes have been optimized for NIR-I (650 to 900 nm) and NIR-II (900 to 1700 nm) PA and fluorescence imaging (e.g. aza-BODIPY, cyanine, xanthenes, etc.). However, in order to absorb/emit in the NIR-I and -II regions, these dyes are large, hydrophobic, and prone to aggregation which can negatively affect solubility and tumor targeting. To address these shortcomings, we strategically installed modifications to the aza-BODIPY and cyanine platforms to enable enhanced solubility and cancer targeting. These modified dyes were evaluated in the <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i> setting.

Design and evaluation of NIR-I and -II dyes with enhanced solubility and targeting

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.